Popular fashion designer Rohit Bal has come out in support of a stinging post by fellow designer Shahab Durazi, which among other things, slammed Bollywood actors who don’t pay their designers for what they wear during red carpet appearances. Bal posted Durazi’s candid and angry on his Facebook page, which went viral on social media. Though Bal later deleted his post, a screenshot of the same has been making rounds all over digital media.
Shahab Durazi has been in the fashion business for years now but has reportedly stayed away from Bollywood. His statement begins by saying, “As a player who is a part of the fashion industry for over three decades, I have witnessed the continued bastardization of Indian fashion. We have come a long way but are certainly not headed the right way. There are innumerable malaise that ail this industry.”
Attacking Bollywood, he says, “The most potent is the Bollywood bug that has rendered Indian fashion most insignificant. Bollywood and the disparate costumes it generates (yes costumes... because anything designed specifically for film is technically a costume and comes under the aegis of costume design) does not represent contemporary Indian fashion. These are merely costumes specifically designed to style a script and clothe a character within that script. Unfortunately, mass adulation that blindly follows this as relevant Indian fashion, needs to be addressed and the majority who see this as relevant, need to be educated.”
Durazi also criticised the undeserving platform given to star kids by fashion glossies. “Every publication is vying for eye candy and often star kids with little or no credibility make it to covers of esteemed fashion magazines, simply because of their film lineage. These are seen as professional conquests, both, for the publication as well as the celebrity. Scoops! Trophies! Fashion is the loser in this tangled triangle of egos.”
The designer then goes on to question why celebrities expect freebies from their designers, when they can afford to buy them. “Designers (with turnovers less than half the daily fee of these celebrities) are expected to provide their creations for red carpet appearances in exchange for publicity. My question is… why can’t these celebrities pay for what they wear like everyone else and why are designers succumbing to this for momentary mileage? Surely the designer can sell her/his creation and garner some goodwill for her/his creativity. She/he need not piggy back to fame riding on the credentials of Bollywood.”
While Bal later deleted his FB post, his message that this was “written brilliantly by Shahab Durazi” does show that the veteran fashion designer agrees to every word that Durazi has written.
Bal himself has designed for several Bollywood A-listers and many film actors have even walked the ramp for Bal too. From Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra to Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Karan Johar, all of them have worn Bal’s creations.
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